The launch of season 3 of Fortnite, expected by nearly 350 million followers, will have brought its share of surprises. In "Welcome to the waves", players can notably move underwater, ride sharks, or dress like the legendary Aquaman. But another change has provoked many reactions on forums and social networks: the disappearance of police cars, which are usually part of the decor of online gaming.
For the Wall Street Journal, the explanation is all found: the Epic Games studios would thus show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for the demonstrations against the police brutality which shake the United States since the murder of the African-American George Floyd, on May 25th . "This is not a political position, but rather to be sensitive to the issues facing many of our players," said a daily source close to the studio. The leaders of the company did not wish to comment on this subject, but this decision echoes a more global dynamic in the world of video games.
Mobilization of the video game industry
Indeed, a few weeks ago, Activision studios already made the choice to display this message to players before each game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare : “ Our community is suffering. The systemic inequalities facing our community are once again in the spotlight. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward advocate for equality and inclusion. We are against racism and the injustices suffered by the black community. As long as this situation continues, we can never become the community we want to be. ” Similarly, GTA Online and Red Dead Online , developed by Rockstar Games, were made unavailable for two hours to "honor the memory of George Floyd ".
More generally, the video game industry has also mobilized by directly pledging donations to associations or by raising funds through special sales. Ubisoft, EA and Square Enix have announced that they will pay between $ 1 million and $ 100,000 to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). The online store site itch.io has raised more than $ 8 million for the same association by selling hundreds of independent video games at bargain prices.
But this commitment is not to everyone's liking. Some players regret that the experience in Fortnite is "degraded", others do not hesitate to denounce an "anti-police" position or to assert that politics should simply have no place in the universe of video games.